Hi from Smiler

Just thought I’d pop on and introduce myself. I joined here only this morning and, since then, have had an amazing experience. I read about being baptized in the Holy Spirit, followed what it said when I prayed and, unbelievably, I can now speak in tongues!

To say I am gobsmacked is an understatement. I walked up to pre-school to collect my son and talked in tongues the whole time. Our church is right by the pre-school so I popped in to see if the pastor was in – he was so we had a chat. He asked me if I wanted to pray so I just said ‘praise the Lord, Amen’, he started to pray in tongues and then I was off again – all these funny noises coming from me. It was MAGICAL!!!

This afternoon I have been asking myself is it real or did I just want it so much I sort of made it up? I know this isn’t the case – it is a gift, a wonderful gift.

I have suffered from depression since 2003 and been on antidepressants (still am). However since I became a Christian in February 2009 and found my wonderful church and pastor I have a new meaning in life. Sure I have had hard times, but I’ve kept going. Only in July I was stood at church in floods of tears with the pastor outside counselling me and a couple of days later he anointed me. However since then I have found a new inner confidence and am thriving.

I am reading a lovely book called ‘9 o’clock in the morning’ which is all about baptism in the Holy Spirit. I have only recently started it and thought I want some of that so I can pray easier and it will enhance my relationship with God. I searched on the internet to get ideas and this was the first site I came to. The rest is history.

Goodness, sorry I didn’t mean to ramble but it all came out! I look forward to getting to know all of you and sharing experiences together.

Comments

I read a book called nine o’clock in the morning by Dennis Bennett. It taught me that it is a gift and all we have to do is have faith that it WILL happen in our hearts and ask Jesus for the gift. I may be over simplifying it a bit but I can thoroughly recommend the book!

After reading the bit about just asking, I found this website, said the prayer to repent of all my sins etc and asked for the gift …. bingo!!!!

Hi Michael, I haven’t written for a while but things are going well. I am getting much more fluent in tongues – I ‘practice’ for want of a better word for 15 minutes a day and it making a lot of difference.

I had a special experience on Friday – was praying in tongues and all of a sudden I started crying; I had my hands raised in praise and the words flowed faster and faster as my tears came until I was sobbing. I have no idea what I was praying about but something was going on!!! I felt very calm and happy afterwards.

My question is after I said the prayer to be baptised I didn’t feel any different at all – I still don’t (apart from the tears and the relaxed feeling on Friday). I understand that when you are baptised in the Holy Spirit you actually ‘feel’ something. Some describe real emotion; tears, laughter even falling on the floor! Others describe a lovely warm feeling and you just know the Spirit is with you. My only way of knowing would be that I can now speak in tongues …. and yes, I truly BELIEVE this is true despite the evil one trying to tell me otherwise.

I did actually say your prayer again a bit earlier thinking it may be different but no…. nothing. I am hungry for more.

After being really quite prolific and speaking in tongues a lot since I received the gift on Thursday (about 4 times in Church this morning …. very quietly) it seems to have slowed down a bit. I was getting the excited feeling in my chest and bursting to speak, but now I’m sort of making it happen. Then when I do speak it seems to be the same sentence coming out more or less. I’m now worried that I’ve latched onto this sentence and am making it come out; that what I had is gone and am feeling anxious.

Is this standard? ie you have a real high (like when you become a Christian) and then it calms right down. So really you shouldn’t go on just your feelings; just on faith that it really HAS happened and this is all real.

I spoke to my pastor (or rather emailed him) and he was able to reassure me. He said all I’m feeling is very normal and just to relax about it and even he felt the same fears about am I making it up etc.

I definitely feel flat today (not helped by my 3 year old son being a real handful!) but tomorrow is a new day.

We can be surprised by the incredible emotions that may accompany the Baptism in the Holy Spirit initially, and we want to feel that way forever.

Emotions however are complex and it is a mistake to conclude that emotional states are a 100% reliable indication of where we are with God at the time.

I think we can also draw an analogy with marriage. You love your husband but you don’t ALWAYS feel romantic ecstacy every time you see him. Still there will be times that are special and more emotionally rewarding.

Managing a 3 year old can definitely have an effect on emotions! The challenge now is to keep your mind fixed on the things of God, and on Christ. From time to time you will be having more intense times in the presence of the Lord. But you can always have peace and joy when you are living a self-denying Christ pleasing life.

Thank you Michael. I think I was confused due to the sudden sort of lack of feeling I ‘needed’ to speak in tongues, and also that I seem to be repeating the same sentence almost all the time and this is what put doubts in my mind. Can you tell me, when you first start to speak in tongues, do you have a word which comes into your head first, you say that and off you go or do you just open your mouth and speak? Sorry, hope I’m not being too personal here!! Don’t answer if you’d prefer not to.

Your linking this with marriage is something I very much relate to. I have looked at your article on prayer and written 3 A4 pages of notes which I will refer to!

Speaking in tongues for the purpose of praying to God is just one way to seek God. I find it really helps, but it doesn’t substitute for obedience in other areas, or a right attitude towards God and others, or all the things God uses that we may receive grace, power and help from God’s throne.

You don’t have to “feel like it” to speak in tongues. You can initiate it anytime. For me now its not like I get words in my mind first. I have become so accustomed to it.

Trust God for more and different phrases and expressions as you move forward in this.

I just wanted to share that things are happening more for me now. I TRULY believe God can hear me; I pray in English and then ask the Holy Spirit to pray for me. I picture the person I am praying for, think of a couple of words in English I want to say (eg keep the children safe) and then start speaking in tongues. I have no idea what the words mean but I now know deep down that God knows.

I am falling in love with God; things I hear in songs can move me to tears; I think of the great sacrifice He made. All I listen to is worship songs and, basically, my whole life is changing. People are saying they can see a difference in me (and they don’t know what’s happened) and I feel great.

Whoever taught you that is a deceiver, and/or is deceived. The Holy Spirit will speak when He is ready to speak. We don’t control Him, He controls us. Willfully speaking in tongues is very dangerous, as it opens the door for the enemy.

We are instructed to pray in the spirit at all times in all ways (Ephesians 6:18). Does doing this WILFULLY mean we are deceived? We are supposed to pray with the help of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26,27). Jesus said, "Without me you can do nothing".

Have you ever spoken in tongues in your life? What would you know about it? Only what someone who also doesn't speak in tongues told you about it? The BIBLE tells us that Paul says "I WILL pray with the Spirit, I WILL pray with the understanding also."

The Holy Spirit is always willing to inspire us to pray. It is a lack of prayer, not the presence of it, that is the problem today.

When the Holy Spirit comes, He’ll speak for Himself. I am seeking to be baptized by the Holy Spirit myself, but I want the real thing. We are to praise God with all our hearts, and then the Holy Spirit will take over when He is ready to baptize a holy vessel. Jesus is the baptizer, not us.

Sadly, people try to teach others how to speak in tongues, and that’s absurd. The Holy Spirit speaks when He is ready — and not until. Anything other than that is of self, and it opens the door for the devil. So many people think they have the Holy Spirit baptism and they don’t; they’re deceived.

What makes you think I don’t have the real thing? I’ve come to realise I rely too much on feelings; I am trying to rely more on my faith than feelings which are always unreliable.

I have simply been taught that speaking in tongues is a gift which is freely given to all those who believe. You need to ask for it and have faith it will happen. I strongly believe so therefore I have received the gift. Receiving the gift has made a huge difference to my life already. I am able to pray more effectively, the Bible is making infinitely more sense to me, the way I treat people is different ….. I could go on.

What I am doing is not of self; I have NOT opened the door for the devil.

At the end of the day everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but these are my beliefs and I stand by them wholeheartedly.

We cannot live the christian life as we should without the Holy Spirit. In fact we cannot live as the new creation we are in Christ without the influence and empowering of the Holy Spirit day to day from moment to moment. I believe this is what you’re experiencing under the gift of tongues, that you are walking by the Spirit. Just recognise that, and keep looking to Spirit daily to keep you, empower you, bear fruit in you, enable you to live as a christian should. We, as christians should actually be afraid of doing anything in the flesh (in our own power, wisdom, strength etc), as it is so corrupt and has been crucified on the cross, even doing good ,or giving advice or opinions etc under the power of the flesh is worthless. I believe this is one of the main issues in the church today, is christians trying to live out the christian life (with good motives) under the power of the flesh, bearing little fruit and not walking in freedom (I can testify to this). Cause it is only the Holy Spirit who can empower us to live as the new creation we are, to be like Christ, bearing fruit to God.

My advice would be to keep looking to the Holy Spirit, and keep asking God to lead you, direct you and enable you to walk by the Spirit, in Jesus name. And then look to Him for this by faith.

Its amazing how much this is emphasized in the new testament but so little of it this truth is taught and emphasized in the church today 🙁

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Thank you so much for your advice. I will be looking to follow the Spirit and wherever he leads me. I’m reading a fantastic book by Benny Hinn all about the Holy Spirit and he explained that the Holy Spirit is NOT the lesser of the 3 – he is God too. This has made an impact on me – to think that God is right inside me talking to my Spirit person too! It’s just awesome isn’t it.

Had a really busy day today as both kids home (as they will be for a fair part of next week!) and am longing to go upstairs, reach for my Bible and pray pray pray!!!!

Most of the posts deal with a person’s particular feelings on any given day. Is this the gospel of self? Where is Jesus in all of this?
Bornagainbytheblood, it is true what you say about people not being able to control the Spirit. Which is why this movement of tongues in the church is something I’m wary of. I DO believe in the gift, as it is scriptural. But, statements like, ‘my question is after I said the prayer to be baptized I didn’t feel any different at all’ cause me to pause. As well as, ‘when you are baptized in the Holy Spirit you actually ‘feel’ something’, makes the entire doctrine based on sensationalism, and not Christ.
It is amazing the experience one has with God initially, wonderful even. But, I do not agree with people chasing after a feeling instead of pursuing a deeper relationship with Christ. Sure, people can roll around on the ground, laugh, etc, and generally feel good, but the evidence of a changed life, brought on by a deeper relationship with God is better witness than those things.
It is good to desire spiritual gifts, and your hunger for it is admirable, but it would be better if you desire God. Speaking in tongues is not the only way you can reach and communicate with Jesus, and the danger of thinking so, is that it develops a type of emotional crutch, a dependency. You are not close to God unless you ‘feel’ it. You can see how discouraging that is. Your posts speak for themselves.
The gift is real, but like anything else can be, and has been misused.
Moses put up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness so that whoever looked at it would be healed. Instead of this object pointing them to God, which it was its purpose, the people started worshiping the bronze snake. They lost their focus.
Ultimately, this isn’t about oneself, pastor, congregation, what your church teaches, what he or she said or experienced, or even a ‘feeling’, it is primarily about Jesus Christ. He is the focus. Everything should always point back to Him, and if it doesn’t, really, what’s the point?
I’m not coming down hard on the poster.
I see posts like this too often, and met too many people going through the same ordeal. I have also seen many leave the church because of this. They became discouraged, or tongues weren’t evident or as prominent in their lives as were in the lives of others.Or worse yet, the feeling fades, and they feel as though God has left them.
Does God go away when you feel bad? Or when you don’t speak in tongues? Is He really that limited?
You speak often about turning to your pastor, turning to your feelings, reading books, and even coming on this website, but spoke very little about reading the Bible, if at all. Why not turn instead to God? I’m not saying those things are wrong, everything has its proper place, but it still seems as though your focus is off. Why has the gift become the pedestal, and not the Giver?
Just thoughts
~Peace and Blessings

Thank you faithishearing. I understand all you have said and have to admit that I rely far too heavily on feelings which I know is wrong.

I should have put in my post that I have been reading my bible all the time; I read 1 Corinthians 14 which is all about speaking in tongues. I have a lovely bible guide and read all the verses about tongues plus the other spiritual gifts in the bible. I read the bible, pray and then re-read and find the verses make more sense second time around. I follow daily readings and cherish my time reading the Word.

God is real; I have been given this wonderful gift and am trying to learn how to use it. My faith is really strong and I have been praying that I will be able to listen to what He says and have surrendered myself completely to him. Reading what I’ve written, yes I’ve come across all wrong but I never forget this is all about God and his grace; tongues is not a toy to me. I am using it to be able to speak to God and learn more and more.

Thank you so much for sharing your testimony! I’m sure your hunger for God has been rewarded directly by the LORD Himself.

I’m really happy that God has also chosen to use this site to be a blessing to you, and I do hope you’ll visit from time to time and keep letting us know what is happening in your life and what God is doing!

Is it real???…Most certainly & one reason, it is given to those who desire more from God..

My baptism in the Holy Spirit with evidence of speaking in tongues came immediately after I repented & was saved.. I had tried to live a Christian life (what I perceived was Christian) but was not able to seperate from sin…I have not once regretted the decision to become born-again …

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